Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.47 on May 15th

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of 1.47 per share by the retailer on Friday, May 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This is a 13.1% increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30.

Costco Wholesale has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. Costco Wholesale has a dividend payout ratio of 26.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Costco Wholesale to earn $19.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 26.4%.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.2%

COST opened at $987.21 on Friday. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $995.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $944.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $437.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.02 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,044.30.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.